Cricket’s top knockout competition finally came to a conclusion with Police running out easy winners against their perennial rivals Prison.
Bovell celebrates doing the double. Photo: Ron Shillingford |
This Money Express Division One Knockout match was schedule for a month ago. Rain and fixture congestion prevented it happening. From the amount of banter exchanged between the teams this was going to be a squeaky tight clash but in the event Police were comfortable champions to add to their league title.
Police skipper Ryan Bovell capped one of his best ever seasons with a marvelous display with bat and ball at the Smith Road Oval. He smashed an unbeaten 60 before taking the first four Prison wickets to ensure his side’s modest score of 178-7 from 40 overs was enough. Pearson Best weighed in with another strong display, hitting 38 for Police and Ramon Sealy (16) and Alistair Ifill (15) made useful contributions as well.
Mid-way through the match Money Express director Steve Blair was introduced to both teams accompanied by Cayman cricket’s technical director Theo Cuffy and president of Cayman cricket’s association Courtney Myles.
Prison never really found their rhythm. Captain Troy David was first to go cheaply and a succession of batsmen barely made double figures. Opener Kevin Bazil toughed it out despite a knee injury and managed to score 20 as did Laurie Cunningham and Kemchand Dindyal. Ironically, Prison’s top scorer was Patrick ‘Packer’ Barrette, who hadn’t played for five years. The big Jamaican was on the fringe of getting into his national side years ago and came out of retirement for this match. Despite the rust and coming in low down the order, he showed flashes of his old brilliance to hit top score with 24. It wasn’t good enough though as Prison were all out for 124 after 28.4 overs.
Barrette said: ‘I wanted to come in higher but wasn’t selected to. It didn’t surprise me that we lost because the team is a little fragmented and hadn’t prepared well.’
Umpires were Sydney Moore and Keith ‘Teach’ Miller.
Bovell took 4-18 in five overs and Ifill also took four wickets, for 23 runs in 7.4 overs.
Blair said: ‘This was our seventh year of sponsoring the event and being a cricket buff I’ve really enjoyed it. I believe in what coach Cuffy and president Myles are doing and fully support them. They’ve really been working hard to build up the sport and bring youngsters into cricket and to be responsible young men. Anything I can do to enhance that is a pleasure.’
A jubilant Bovell said: ‘I’m pretty ecstatic right now. As you can see the fellas are really happy, all the hard work they put in has really paid off. We showed that we deserved to be champions. We were very confident going into the game because we’d beaten them twice during the regular season and we couldn’t see why we wouldn’t win a third time.
‘I think I had a good all round game which shows that the hard work I’ve been putting in so far has paid off and hopefully it will pay off for the Stanford 20/20. I think I’m reaching to where I want to be fitness wise and by January I should be on top form.
‘I’m looking forward to the 20/20 games organised by the cricket association. I guess I’ll pick a few games to play in and give some of the other guys a run just so that I can monitor myself all the way through.’
Kevon Bazil was another Police man celebrating. His twin brother Kevin was in the Prison team. Kevon did not feel guilty about winning. ‘Beating them is becoming like a day’s work,’ he said. ‘The cricket’s done and me and Kevin are still friends. On the pitch we’re enemies but now it’s all over we can share a beer.’
Cuffy said: ‘Police have been the dominating factor in our cricket for the whole season. They have really played well. One of the persons we haven’t really complimented for doing well was Alistair Ifill. I think he has been not only the leading bowler for Police but the leading bowler on the whole island.’
In the Money Express Division 2 Knockout semi-final between Caledonian and Cable & Wireless Schools two weeks ago, C&W Schools limited the free scoring Caledonian batsmen to 89 for 9 wickets and in reply were 15 for 2 wickets before the showers came and halted the match. In perfect sunshine on Saturday the replayed match was a one-sided affair. Schools smashed 227-5 thanks to an immaculate ton by boy wonder Ramon Sealy who hit 101. Ricardo Roach hit 44 not out and Darren Cato got 38. Caledonian could only muster 73 in reply with Omar Willis taking 5-26 in eight overs and Earl Hart getting 3-10. Schools won by 154 runs.
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